Unity Preschool News
September 2021 - Volume II
Ms. Linda's Letter
Dear Preschool Families,
Thank you for a fantastic first month of preschool. The car line is running smoothly and the children are doing well learning and following classroom routines. At Unity Preschool, one of the first items that we focus on is developing self-help skills. Self-help skills are abilities that children gradually attain to give them more independence. All of the children have mastered our first self-help skill: walking to their classroom without tears! Additional self-help skills that we are working on include hanging their backpacks, taking out their folders, taking care of their trash after snack, attending to bathroom needs, and picking up toys. When we trust children to do things for themselves, they feel empowered. Their involvement contributes to growing their learning experiences. It is also about learning life skills so they can look after themselves without depending on others. It has been a joy and a delight watching your children learn to master these skills and we look forward to continuing the process throughout the school year.
Blessings,
Ms. Linda
Director - Unity Preschool
Color Day - Go BLUE!
Our next color day is October 14 - Orange Day!
Three's Monkey Class
Ms. Laura and Ms. Lauren
Three's Frog Class
Spirit Day - DOT Day
Because we continue to "pause" many of our external events this year, we will host fun internal events in our classrooms on the last Thursday of each month. Our first "Spirit Day" is Thursday, September 29. We will read "The Dot" by one of our favorite authors, Peter Reynolds, and enjoy some fun activities. Please wear something with polka dots to preschool.
Future Spirit Days:
October 28: Halloween Celebration - We will have Halloween parties in our classrooms.
November 23: Feast Day - We will celebrate Thanksgiving in our classrooms by enjoying a Thanksgiving meal prepared by some special Unity Preschool friends.
December 16: PJ Day - We will all wear our pj's and enjoy some Christmas fun.
Scholastic Book Order
Your orders help us purchase more books for our Preschool Library as well as Birthday, Christmas, and End-of-Year books for your children. We also included a Preschool Wish List with some books that we would appreciate for our preschool library.
We will be finalizing our order on Monday, September 27 so that we receive maximum awards for September. We included a link below for the digital flyers for preschool students. Thanks in advance for your support. Connect and Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/GXCK8https://orders.scholastic.com/GXCK8
Please place your online orders by Monday, September 27.
Thank you for your support!
Teacher Feature - Ms. Kellie
Ms. Kellie Ellis is beginning her 6th year at Unity Preschool. She currently assists Ms. Maureen in our Four's (Fish) class. This is her third year working with our Four's classes. She worked three years in the Three's classes and was a Two's Assist at her previous preschool. Ms. Kellie and her husband, Jeff, have two children: Ainsley (a Freshman Nursing student at Clemson) and Ryan (a Junior at Nation Ford) and a beloved dog, Savvy. Ms. Kellie serves on our Preschool Advisory Board and helps us with singing during our Chapel lessons. We are so grateful for Ms. Kellie and the abundant joy that she shares with us often, especially when she dances in our hallways.
Here are a few of her favorites:
Favorite Foods: guacamole, tacos, and Korean food ("bulgogi and kimchi are amazing!")
Favorite Music: all music but country. Ms. Kellie loves going to concerts, especially with her daughter. She recently attended the Maroon Five concert at the PNC Music Theater.
Favorite Book: "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio. Ms. Kellie says "I think everyone should read this book so they can learn about humility, acceptance, and inclusion."
Favorite Movies: action/adventure (has seen all 24 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU a/k/a the superhero movies)) with a good "chick flick" sprinkled in once in a while.
Favorite Activities: Clemson football games, playing cards (Wipeout and Seven), traveling, and riding rollercoasters.
COVID-19 Update
Thank you for keeping your children home if they are feeling "off." We have had no elevated temperatures while at preschool this school year and we have not had to send any children home who are not feeling well. If we continue to maintain good communication and to be thoughtful and diligent in our approach, I believe that we can remain safe and open for everyone. THANK YOU!
COVID-19 Update:
Quarantine Students: 0
Positive Test Students: 0
Quarantine Staff:1 (Ms. Danielle - Two's)
Positive Test Staff: 0
Miscellaneous
*Fire Alarm: The Building Inspector was at Unity today for an inspection in order to open our renovated Historic Sanctuary. As part of the inspection, they had to test the fire alarms. We had notice of this event, so the Two's and Three's classes were outside during the testing. The Four's classes were inside and heard the alarms. We just wanted you to know the circumstances if your child talks about hearing the loud fire alarms today.
*Toys Stay Home: We have had some issues with toys being brought to school for "Show and Tell." Please keep toys at home. Our teachers will let you know if they are asking for items from home.
*Label Clothes: Please remember to label jackets/sweaters/extra clothes that you send to school so that we can make sure they go home with the correct child.
*Directory Update: Thank you for returning your Directory Information forms. Ms. Linda has been working in the Two's classroom so she is a little behind. She hopes to have the Directory available by the first week of October.
*Tuition: Our next tuition withdrawal date will be Friday, October 1st.
Unity Preschool Staff 2021-22
Front Row - Left to Right by teaching pairs:
Ms. Maureen and Ms. Kellie (Fours - Fish)
Ms. Sarah and Ms. Elizabeth (Fours - Owls)
Back Row - Left to Right by teaching pairs:
Ms. Carolyn (Librarian/Thursday Helper/First Call Sub)
Ms. Jen and Ms. Danielle (Older Twos - Bees)
Ms. Beth and Ms. Becca (Threes - Monkeys)
Ms. Lauren and Ms. Laura (Threes- Frogs)
Ms. Linda (Director)
Unity Preschool
Email: preschoolatunity@gmail.com
Website: https://www.preschoolatunity.com/
Location: 303 Tom Hall Street, Fort Mill, SC, USA
Phone: 803-396-8454